Although Apple hasn't released a first-party dock for the iPhone 5 and its new Lightning connector, the official iPhone 5 user guide has references to an official “iPhone Dock” accessory sold separately. These references were discovered by MacDailyNews in two different places within the official guide which can be downloaded in PDF form directly from Apple’s site.

The first reference to the “iPhone Dock” accessory can be found on page 7 of the guide. Under the section labeled “Connecting Cable”, the guide notes that the new Lightning to USB cable, packaged with the iPhone 5, “can also be used with the iPhone Dock (sold separately).”

The second reference to an officially titled “Dock” can be found on page 34 of the iPhone 5 owners’ manual. In a section where the guide discusses how users can recharge the battery on their new iPhone 5, the guide notes that users can connect their handset “to your computer using the included cable and the Dock, available separately.”

Apple previously sold a first-party dock for $29 for previous iPhone models with the 30-pin dock connector but this year, with the launch of the iPhone 5 and its new, smaller Lightning connector, Apple did not release a redesigned dock alongside the new hardware. The redesigned port allowed Apple to make sure the new iPhone was thinner and lighter than ever, but has also caused frustration for some users who are not happy with the legacy accessories, including the 30-pin docks, are no longer compatible.

There have been many suggestions that Apple may not be planning an official iPhone 5 dock designed to fit the new device’s thinner profile and redesigned Lightning port but the references contained in the iPhone 5 manual suggest that the company could still release an accessory. There is always the possibility that Apple originally planned to build its own iPhone 5 dock before scrapping the plans with the references to an official “Dock” accessory simply not being removed from the iPhone 5 user guide. We’ll have to wait and see what move Apple makes.